Broad-leaved grape hyacinth

Broad-leaved grape hyacinth: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small bulb of 20–25 cm tall, with one leaf and one flower stem per bulb.

Leaves

A single broad, lance-shaped leaf up to 3 cm wide, matt green to grey-green.

Flower

A dense spike of small, urn-shaped flowers: the fertile ones at the bottom deep violet-blue, the sterile ones at the top pale blue.

Fruit

Small capsules with black seeds, ripe in June.

Bulb

Small, round bulb with a light brown tunic, slowly forming offsets.

Flowering: April–May · Plants: September–November

Why grow it?

• An unusual two-tone flower spike that stands out among other spring flowers.
• Bees and bumblebees find nectar and pollen on it in April and May.
• Spreads gently, without taking over the border as the common grape hyacinth sometimes does.
• Small and easy: for the front of a border, under shrubs, in a rock garden and in pots.
• Fully hardy and reliably returns year after year.

Broad-leaved grape hyacinth: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; under deciduous shrubs it gets enough light in spring.
• Free-draining soil: sand, loam or light clay, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to moderately moist; after flowering the soil may happily dry out in summer.
• Plant in groups of 15–25 bulbs, 5–8 cm apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.25 m tall, 0.08 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Daffodil: Small yellow daffodils flower at the same time and contrast freshly with the dark blue.
• Tulip: Low tulips in white, pink or orange stand out nicely against the two-tone spikes.
• Forget-me-not: A haze of pale blue that echoes the pale blue tufts.
• Lenten rose: Flowers early in partial shade; the grape hyacinths fill the ground beneath it.

Broad-leaved grape hyacinth: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant the bulbs from September to November, preferably early in autumn so they root before winter.
2. Loosen the soil; on heavy ground, mix in some grit or gravel.
3. Plant the bulbs 8 cm deep, pointed end up.
4. Space them 5–8 cm apart and plant in groups or irregular drifts, not in a row.
5. Water if the soil is dry so the bulbs root quickly.
6. A thin layer of compost or leaf mould over the planting spot is enough as a mulch.

Care

Water

Rarely needed in the garden. Water bulbs in pots in spring while the leaf is green.

Feeding

Not needed in the garden. On poor soil or in pots, some compost or a light bulb fertiliser after flowering.

Foliage

Leave the leaf after flowering until it turns yellow in June: this is how the bulb recharges for next year.

Deadheading

Cut off faded spikes if you do not want seedlings; leave them if it may self-seed.

Dividing

Every four or five years, lift and divide congested clumps once the foliage has died back.

Pots

In a pot, plant the bulbs close together in free-draining compost with some grit.

Tip: Plant groups of at least twenty bulbs: a single bulb hardly shows, a drift of twenty does. Then let the leaves die back in their own time.

Broad-leaved grape hyacinth: when to prune it?

When: Muscari latifolium is not pruned. At most you cut off faded spikes in May and tidy away the yellow leaves in June.

How:

• Cut faded flower stems at the base if you want to avoid seedlings.
• Leave the leaf until it turns yellow and limp of its own accord; then pull it away or cut it off.
• In grass, do not mow the area until the foliage has died back, in June at the earliest.

Caution: Do not cut the green leaf off too early: the bulb will then flower poorly or not at all the following year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

Lift a congested clump in June–July, once the foliage has died back. Separate bulbs and offsets and replant them straight away or in autumn.

Seed

Sow fresh seed in summer or autumn in a pot and leave it outside over winter. Seedlings flower after two to three years.

Broad-leaved grape hyacinth: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: no protection needed in a Belgian garden.
• In winter, stand pots against a wall or in a sheltered spot so the compost does not become waterlogged.
• After flowering the bulb rests dry in the ground all summer; there is no need to lift it.

Diseases and pests

• Bulb rot: On wet, poorly drained soil the bulbs rot. Plant somewhere drier or improve the soil with grit.
• Few flowers: The clump has become congested or the leaf was cut off too early. Lift and divide the bulbs, and from now on let the foliage die back.
• Floppy stems: In deep shade the stems grow long and fall over. Give it a lighter spot.
• Slugs: In a damp spring they sometimes eat leaves and flower spikes. Pick them off in the evening.

Through the year

• March: Leaves and buds appear. Keep an eye on slugs.
• April: Flowering. Bees and bumblebees come and go.
• May: Last flowers. Cut off faded spikes or let seed form.
• June: Let the foliage die back, then tidy it away. Lift and divide congested clumps.
• July: Rest. Sow fresh seed in a pot.
• September: Plant bulbs 8 cm deep.
• October: Plant in groups, also in pots.
• November: Last chance to plant. Move pots to a sheltered spot.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The pale blue flowers at the top are sterile; they make the spike more visible to pollinators.
• The name latifolium means broad-leaved and refers to the single broad leaf, quite unlike the narrow, grassy leaves of most other grape hyacinths.
• The genus name Muscari comes from the Greek word for musk and refers to the scent of some species.